Elmo and Cookie Monster are appearing as "super fans" of the 2026 [1] FIFA World Cup through a collaboration with Fox Sports.

The partnership aims to engage families and promote the tournament by leveraging familiar children's characters [3, 4]. By integrating the Sesame Street duo into promotional videos and live appearances, organizers hope to broaden the appeal of the global soccer event to younger audiences.

As part of the campaign, the characters visited Los Angeles, California [2, 3]. Their activities include appearing in promotional content and visiting host city locations to build excitement for the matches. The collaboration places the puppets within the broader Fox Sports broadcast ecosystem for the tournament [3].

This promotional push comes as the World Cup continues its history, which spans nearly 100 years [2]. The 2026 [1] event is marking several milestones in its presentation, including the introduction of the first-ever [2] halftime show for the World Cup final.

Fox Sports and Sesame Street have designed the "super fan" personas to mirror the enthusiasm of the global soccer community. The characters are used to translate the excitement of the game into a format accessible to children and parents alike [1, 4]. This strategy aligns with efforts to increase the sport's footprint within the U.S. ahead of the June and July tournament dates [2].

The presence of Elmo and Cookie Monster in Los Angeles serves as a visible marker of the tournament's integration into American urban centers. Their roles as ambassadors are intended to foster a festive, family-oriented atmosphere across various media platforms [2, 3].

“Elmo and Cookie Monster are appearing as "super fans" of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”

The collaboration between a major sports broadcaster and a legacy children's brand indicates a strategic effort to cultivate a new generation of soccer fans in the U.S. By utilizing characters with universal appeal, FIFA and Fox Sports are attempting to transition the World Cup from a niche sporting event into a mainstream family entertainment spectacle, coinciding with the tournament's expansion into North American markets.